PopScene Blog

Street Art hunting in London

During my London trip I went out on the streets for half a day of street art hunting. The very kind Paul/Nine-0 took the day off to show me around Shoreditch, Camden, Kings Cross and Central London.

More photo's on Flickr.

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Hot Chip @ Rough Trade (Instore)

Where: Rough Trade East, London
When: Tuesday 2nd February 2010

Hot Chip's new album One Life Stand is absolutely amazing! A must have!

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New Goldfrapp single

I have been in a Goldfrapp mood ever since last weekend. Mostly listening to Happiness and Strict Machine on repeat. In less than two months from now a new album called 'Head First' is hitting the shops, with a single 'Rocket' being released on the 8th March.

Listen to 'Rocket' at here.

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Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel

I want it to be Spring and Summer!!

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Lo-Fi-Fnk 'leak' new song

Swedish electro-pop duo Lo-Fi-Fnk have a new song ready to be listened to. This song is going to be leaked on the internet by the boys themselves on the 1st February. To be the first to hear this song you have to attend yourself on their Facebook event page. Spread the word!!!!

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MEN feat. Le Tigre member

Taken from Men's Myspace:

MEN is a Brooklyn-based band and art/performance collective that focuses on the energy of live performance and radical potential of dance music. MEN speaks to issues such as wartime economies, sexual compromise, and demanding liberties through lyrical content and an exciting stage show. The group began in 2007 as the DJ/production/remix team of LE TIGRE members JD Samson and Johanna Fateman. When the duo began to write new songs, it made sense to merge their efforts with JD's other new project HIRSUTE. JD and Hirsute members Michael O'Neill (Princess, Ladybug Transistor) and Ginger Brooks Takahashi (LTTR, The Ballet) now comprise the core of MEN, with Johanna and artist Emily Roysdon contributing as writers, consultants, and producers.

MySpace: www.myspace.com/men

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The Swiss - Bubble Bath (Discooooooo!!)

Let's start 2010 with a damn fine disco tune by The Swiss. It is called Bubble Bath and you can listen and disco dance to it from hypem.com/track/994945/The+Swiss+-+Bubble+Bath. I say: Nice! Very nice!

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NME Cool List 2009

You have stumbled upon the NME Cool List 2009, which is my personal end of the year list. No, it has nothing to do with NME Magazine. Have they actualy published their cool list this year?? Recession or no recession, mine is here again! NME stands for Nicole's Music End of the year list, although it is no longer just about music only. There is a little bit of art and a little bit of technology.

The past 12 months:
A year ago I made the difficult decision to move back to my home country. The first half of 2009 was about me slowly finishing my London life. If you saw a girl running around from one place to another, that must have been me. After the running around I made the big move. The last half of 2009 has been prettttyyyy quiet. In 2010 I am gonna rock that disco again and leave behind my half a year of living as a hermit life. ;)

Future goals and plans are being made and 2010 is most definitely gonna be an exciting year! London, I miss you a lot, but one day we might be reunited again.

Ok, no more dramatic stuff, as you are here for the NME Cool List.

Wow, that was cool!
Which live bands made me rock a lot?

* Delphic + Golden Filter @ Queen of Hoxton
The Queen of Hoxton had just opened and Dummy had its first night there. Seeing that I have a lot of faith in Dummy's musical taste, I went to check out these two new bands. They tasted extremely good, especially Delphic. (url)

* Filthy Dukes @ Pure Groove
Those who know me, know how much I love the Filthy Dukes. Ever since I first heard them DJ, I kept a close eye on them. The day they played at Pure Groove was the day they released their Nonsense in the Dark album. Super album!!! (url)

* Passion Pit + Hockey @ Cargo
There were three bands playing and I can not remember who the first band was. It were Passion Pit and Hockey that caught my musical attention. I am still not sure who I liked most. (url)

* Slagsmalsklubben @ Valkhof Affaire
Never have I seen such a young crowd go mental in Holland. Then again, how can you not when seeing Slagsmalsklubben from Sweden. (url)

* Black Lips @ Arnold Circus
I only found out 15 minutes before showtime that Black Lips were doing an acoustic. Seeing that I lived pretty close by and it was my day off, I went to Arnold Circus for a bit of music. (url)

* Lost Valentinos @ Lexington
They came all the way from Australia to do a mini tour in Europe. Even though there weren't that many people at Lexington, I and friends thought they were brilliant!

* Little Boots @ Dot To Dot festival
She was the last act I saw at Nottinghams Dot to Dot festival and worth the wait. Her live show is just perfect. On stage she was joined by a pink unicorn balloon, which she bought from a salesman earlier that day. (url)

* Phoenix @ Koko
Ooh la la! Phoenix were absolutely fantastique. First time ever I saw them live and I am looking forward seeing them again in March.

And of course...
* Blur @ Goldsmiths Uni
What can I say? Seeing Blur in an intimate venue such as Goldsmiths was magical. It being my last gig in mighty London made it even more special. L.o.v.e. (url)

Cool chick factor
In 2009 I seem to have fallen madly for quite a few female singers. Some of them are just simply too cool!

* Lily Allen
Ever since I saw her doing that TV show of hers I thought she was cool. This year her tunes have kept me musically happy.

* Little Boots
'I *heart* Little Boots' is what I wrote on the PopScene blog. She was just simply lovely and a great performer when I saw her at the Dot to Dot festival in Nottingham.

* Tigs (Chew Lips)
I saw her/Chew Lips live in 2008. I interviewed her for Glamcult this year. She is very cheeky and very cool. Yah!

* Kate Jackson
Even though Kate (ex-Long Blondes) hasn't done much musicwise, she still is a very cool lady with a great fashion style.

Supercool DJs
Partywise it has been a bit quiet, but there is always one DJ who deserves a mention.

* Erol Alkan
Erol is the one and only true master in music. Whether he spins tunes, creates music, produces albums or being a music fan with all his heart. Respect always!

Fuck, what a cool party that was
Like said above, it has been quiet partywise, but....

* Disco 3000 @ Lock Tavern
2009 started good with the boys behind ASBO having invited the mysterious Disco 3000 (aka Erol Alkan) doing a disco set. There were the damn fine disco tunes, the dancing and the Sambuca, so what more do we need to have a good time? (url)

* Bugged Out @ The End
The End closed its doors at the end of January. I went to the last Bugged Out at The End with Erol and Justice DJing. Goodbye, The End! It was a pleasure having had so many good nights on your humble dancefloor. (url)

Art d'cool
Art and especially street art seems to have dominated most of 2009. I absolutely love this new obsession.

* C215
C215 was cool a year ago and he still is one year later. The art he creates has made me say 'Oh my!!' many times in 2009. Simply gorgeous! (url)

* Fin DAC
It was at the Wonderland Collective show at Light Bar where I saw the very talented Finbarr at work. Truly a joy too watch. Many more cool stuff he made this year and there is more to come in 2010. (url)

* Crack For Your Eyes
How can anyone who has a love for street art not have missed the Crack For Your Eyes website? This is a well deserved coolness mention! Keep on going strong in 2010! (url)

* Bristol artness
I could mention Upfest and the Banksy show seperately. Seeing that both events took place in Bristol, it makes Bristol a very very cool place. I made one-day trips for both events and it was worth it both times. (url + url )

Shout outs to: Nine-o, Fake and Ives.one.

Cool as f*ck moment
Some moments in 2009 made me say 'No way!!!'

* Blur tickets
I was sooooo excited when I got that e-mail that said that I had won two tickets to see Blur. Woooooow! I couldn't have given myself a better farewell London present.

* Mark Ronson
Call me pathetic, but having Mark Ronson standing next to me when both watching Klaxons at White Heat was a pretty cool (swoon) moment. I nearly fainted... ;)

* Hellingly
Giving the abandoned Hellingly Mental Asylum a visit was just surreal and cool as f*ck! (url)

Cool tool
Technology rules! Some technology tools have given life so much more *ahum* fun in 2009.

* Spotify
Spotify is seriously the best music source at the moment. A massive thanks to my friend James for mentioning Spotify to me. I love Spotify!!! For those who have Spotify, check out my playlist.

* Google
I once saw a guy wearing a shirt that says: 'Fuck Google, ask me!'. Brilliant!! I love using Google. Ever since this year I have started using their agenda, Google docs and not to forget the fantastic Street View. Call me an idiot, but I find it very cool to drop that yellow man somewhere on the world map to see what it looks like in, for example, New Zealand.

Not so very cool
A year also has it not so cool moments.

* Move away from London
Even though it has been a good decision to go back to study again in Amsterdam, I do miss London with all my heart. I will never be tired of London.

* The closure of The End
Club The End is one of those places it always felt like being home. Whether I went to Trash, Durrr, Bugged Out or Tiga's album launch, I never had a bad time. The End has closed, but the memories always stay.

Cool in the making
So, who/what is gonna be cool in 2010?

* Ravage! Ravage! (The coolest Dutch band there is. Finito!!!)
* Blokgolf (Do I hear disco?)
* Delphic (They were cool in 2009, but will be even cooler in 2010.)
* Memory Tapes (I have only heard one song so far, but what I hear sounds like a very good start for what's to come.)
* Gold Panda (If I was in London right now, I would have checked out Gold Panda immediately. One to watch...)
* Amsterdam Street Art (Oh yes, in 2010 street art is going to be ubercool in Amsterdam. Befan us on Facebook.)

Coolest weblog fan
So, this is the lifetime achievement award, which makes someone very very very cool!

* Thielo
A thank you for being a very cool weblog fan. A thank you for giving me tips, when I was renewing PopScene. A thank you for being a friend. www.tilometer.eu

Motto for 2010: let's make 2010 an exciting and productive year.

Previous NME Cool Lists:
* 2008
* 2007
* 2006
* 2005
* 2004
* 2003
* 2002

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Late of the Pier - Blueberry (official video)

Late of the Pier have done it again, another great single. It is called Blueberry and the official video is to be viewed below.

Again it has been the magnificent Erol Alkan who did the production. Respect!!!

Ps for those in The Netherlands who are dying to see/hear Erol in DJ action. He is DJing at Joost van Bellen's Rauw party on 8th January (Amsterdam) and 9th January (Utrecht). See you there?

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Please, befan the Amsterdam Street Art Facebook page

I setup an Amsterdam Street Art Facebook page today.

Our mission is to give street art and graffiti a massive boost in Amsterdam. We want to achieve this by creating a community/platform, organise events and exhibitions, paint jams and whatever tickles our fancy.

If you are on Facebook, please befan us.

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X-streets exhibition (photo's)

More photo's on Flickr.

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X-streets expo in Amsterdam

X-streets expo @ ABC Treehouse Gallery. Opening Saturday 12th December from 16hrs.

More info in the below flyer and more to see when you come and see it yourself.

Picture kindly borrowed from the CFYE Flickr stream.

Here is an online mag for you to read.

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PopScene Spotify playlist

Are you on Spotify? I am! Some months ago I created a PopScene playlist, which I am now happy to share with you, you and you. It gets updated frequently with tracks that rock my disco.

[link:PopScene playlist]

Suggestions are most welcome. :)

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New Simian Mobile Disco video

Simian Mobile Disco - Cruel Intentions (vocals: Beth Ditto - video by: Saam Farahmand)

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For your listening pleasure...

Are your ears in desperate need of some fine tunes? Check out the below listening tips.

1) The Filthy Dukes' Nation of Shopkeepers mix, which brings your hearing pleasure back to the summer of 2005 and the tunes as played by Filthy Dukes. I say: freaking nice mix! Maybe a bit tooooo nice! F-word!
[listen link]

2) Hot Chip's new single One Life Stand (out 1st Feb '10) is on their MySpace player.
[listen link]

3) Pure Groove's top 10 albums of 2009 in a handy Spotify playlist.
[listen link]

4) Yeasayer's new track Ambling Alp, which is their first single from their second album 'Odd Blood'. A bit different than their previous stuff, but still very nice!!!
[listen link]

5) And last, but not least, Delphic's video for their new single 'Doubt'. Ooooohhh, so good!
[listen link]

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